The Michelin Defender Standard Touring All-Season tire has arrived to serve the drivers of family cars, minivans and small crossover vehicles looking for tires that will provide a confident driving experience that helps protect those they care about most. In addition to utilizing eco-focused manufacturing methods and enhancing vehicle fuel economy through low rolling resistance, as designated by Michelin's Green X* branding, Defender tires are designed to deliver extra long wear, comfortable driving characteristics and all-season traction in dry, wet and wintry conditions, even in light snow.

Featuring a silica-based all-season tread compound molded into a mildly asymmetric tread design, Defender tires provide traction throughout a wide range of ambient temperatures and driving conditions. The interlocking action of Michelin IntelliSipe Technology promotes exceptional tread block rigidity that reduces rolling resistance and wear rate so drivers can save fuel without sacrificing longevity. IntelliSipe Technology also allows Michelin to increase the number of sipes in the Defender's tread design to provide additional biting edges that enhance all-season traction in rain and light snow. Four circumferential and hundreds of lateral grooves help evacuate water from under the tire's footprint to enhance hydroplaning resistance and wet traction.

Michelin MaxTouch Construction optimizes the stresses experienced when the tire footprint comes in contact with the road to promote predictable handling, even wear and long tread life. Its internal structure combines twin steel belts with a polyester cord body.

*Specific sizes featuring Green X technology are identified as such on the Sizes tab, as well as on the tire's Specs tab.

Notes

Specifications shown are as accurate as possible based on the information provided to us by the tire manufacturers. The dimensions reflect average values for tires measured on the specified measuring rim width. Individual tires may vary from data shown.

All tires are subject to continuous development. The tire manufacturers and Tire Rack reserve the right to change product specifications at any time without notice or obligation.

*Although regularly updated, the country of origin for any tire may vary from the country shown here. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate requests for tires with a specific country of origin.

More Than Basic Touring All-Season Tires - Winter Update (02:41)

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Today, many Passenger and Standard Touring All-Season tires are anything but "standard." The new Continental TrueContact is designed to provide fuel efficiency along with long treadlife and good traction, particularly in the wet.

But what about when it snows? We went to Sweden to test this tire where winter reigns supreme.

Testing Passenger and Touring All-Season Tires (03:01)

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New tires are often named to convey something about their attributes. And with names like Ascend, Assurance or Defender, many of today's Passenger/Standard Touring All-Season tires have strong names in hopes of striking a chord with consumers.

All that marketing strategy sounds good in theory. How do these tires drive in the real world? Let's find out.